The Clearwater Lodge at the Pit River is a Northern California fly fishing destination that is an angler’s dream.

A beautiful 1920′s era lodge located in a canyon on the Pit River, the guides at the Clearwater Lodge put anglers on trout on some of the country’s best trout waters, including the Fall River, Hat Creek, McCloud River, Upper Sacramento, Lower Sacramento, Burney Creek, and, of course, the Pit River. And when anglers are wiped out from a day of fly fishing, the lodge offers everything from a “massive” stone fireplace to a library for relaxation between angling and fine meals.

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Drawn from a Adze found in Pit Rivers museum

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Nate, Eric and JJ nymphing the Pit.

For as much time as I’ve spent around lodges, I had never been to one as a guest until this past weekend at the Clearwater Lodge on the Pit River east of Redding. As the sky turned orange on its way to purple then black, we pulled up to the white building. We were hungry since we stopped for flies rather than food and when the office was locked and our keys left with a note, I wasn’t completely confident we’d be fed. Fortunately the cook was still there. Our dinners – salmon, rice, brussle sprouts and cheese cake with strawberry topping – were waiting. Perfect. We devoured.
After a quick conversation with the owner who materialized shortly after we were finished, we retired to the six-room annex that was uninhabited by anyone but us, to rig up the rods for the next morning.
The annex smelled like old wood and history, not mold and layers of paint.
Nate and I took our time, tying leader in creaky chairs around a poker table, then standing in the dim room to string the rods. There wasn’t a TV in the annex, nor the main room, nor the pool room. There was nothing to do but fish, or talk about fishing while playing pool, poker or horseshoes.
It was the type of place that fosters what we always talk about doing but get distracted by the frenetic happenings of everyday life. No one says, “man, I can’t wait to sit around and watch TV shows the entire evening.” People are more passionate about life than that.
The Clearwater Lodge knows this and offers the perfect weekend alternative.
Saturday morning Nate and I were up before breakfast, and without coffee hit the section of the river just down from the lodge next to pumphouse No. 1.
It was cold and we both lost a few nymphing rigs, but I managed a couple squawfish and a foot-long rainbow. Just before breakfast one of the guides suggested the colder, squawfish-free sections of Pit 3, 4 or 5.
We didn’t book a guide because Nate has a wedding coming up and I spent all my money in Alaska then $1800 on the trout-mobile, plus JJ and Eric also desired an economical weekend.
So Nate and I gorged ourselves on biscuits, gravy and coffee then headed to Pit 3. Pit 3 is a bouldery mess with tufts of grass spiking like mohawks from mostly submerged rocks. The grass grows so well in spots it provides the illusion of an island. In reality the grass hides foot-wide channels that are three-feet deep. Nate and I had just begun to figure the wading out when JJ and Eric arrived just in time to eat the lunch provided by the lodge.
After sandwiches, cookies, chips and soda, we returned to the river and discovered creative ways to negotiate, and fall, on the slick rocks in the quick current. There were trout too, some big, some small.
I know it’s easy for me to say because I caught fish, but it was one of those days when that didn’t necessarily matter how many end up netted. It was fun to look up or down the river and see friends, struggling for footing, falling but not drowning and casting to trout we knew were there. There was no whining, and when the day was done, we sat on the porch Saturday night, digesting pork, potatoes, salad and cake.
For two days at least, life seemed less tilted toward work and the lingering need to save money to go again will remain until I actually do.
See column at:
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/92/article/53177

Nice way for a day on the Pit to start.

I’ve hung around the Fireweed Lodge in Klawock, Alaska, since middle school, but never in my life have I done the lodge-thing as a guest.
Friday night my buddy Nate and I arrived at the Clearwater Lodge along the Pit River for a weekend of trout fishing. It was past dinner and sunset, but keys were on the office desk waiting for us and the cook had dinner waiting too.
“I love this ‘lodge thing’”
Nate and I were joined by two other friends the following morning and we took four of the six rooms in the Annex.
The lodge was built in the 20s, and was used as housing for the workers at the pump station, so it has a nice authentic/rustic, not refurbished/fake feel. This place had character but remained cozy. PG&E sold the lodge and land to the first of its two private owners in 1995. The private access to this area by the Pit pumphouse number 1 is okay for rainbows, but the water was pretty warm, so we considered other local options (Fall River, Baum Lake, Hat Creek, Pit 4, Pit 5, etc.). We ended up going to Pit 3. The wading was tough as it is on the Pit, but all the boots-above-your-head falls ended in wetness and laughter, not first aid and broken bones…. and we caught some nice fish.

The fish would look bigger if Nate wasn’t 6-foot-6.

I didn’t tell anyone at the Lodge that I’m a writer, so I could see how they treat ordinary people that got the cheaper rooms and no guide. I’d imagine some places cater to the rich folk, and ignore the teachers up for a weekend. I was happy to see we were treated like guests, not bargain hunters.
There is no doubt the Clearwater is a first-rate operation, because though I have never before been a guest, I have been around a ton of Alaska lodges and know how things should be done.

The scientific name of American brooklime, also known as American speedwell, is Veronica americana or Veronica beccabunga. Talk about confusing!!

This beautiful little flower is a rhizomatous perennial always found in or very near a clean water source such as mountain streams or spring seeps, often in association with watercress, skullcap or monkey flower. It grows throughout most of North America.

The blue to lilac flowers of American brooklime have four petals, two long stamens and grow in long loose clusters along the stem. The flowers are very delicate and pretty, but very small as evidenced in the scaled picture.  The opposite leaves range from lance shaped to oval, are sharply pointed, and have toothed or entire margins. The hairless stems are round and somewhat succulent.  The roots are often completely submerged in water.

The leaves, stems and flowers of American brooklime can be used as a salad vegetable or as a potherb. The taste, to me, is slightly bitter and resembles the flavor of watercress. A tea made from the leaves is used by herbalists as an expectorant and is reported to have diuretic properties.

The genus name, Veronica, may be derived from and Arabic word meaning “beautiful memory” in reference to the pretty flowers. The common name brooklime may come from Europe where this plant grows in the mud along streams and brooks where birds may become “limed” (limed means ensnaring birds in sticky matter). The alternate name, speedwell, means “get well” and could refer to the medicinal properties of this plant.

These plants were growing in the runoff of a little spring flowing into the Pit River near Fall River Mills CA (Shasta County). This water was flowing clear, the preferred habitat of American brooklime.

Our Friend

The Pit River runs about a mile from our house (Modoc County CA). For several years, as I drove by a certain spot on my way to work, a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) stood in the water or on the bank. There was never a second heron. It did not matter what the weather, a heron was there. In the winter I would feel so sorry for the poor bird with his feet in the freezing water. Even worse were days when the river was frozen, snow was falling and the wind was howling. The great blue heron continued to maintain his vigil. Since both sexes are similar outside of the breeding season, I do not know the sex, but have always referred to the heron in the river as a “he”. Each day I looked for “my” great blue heron and he never disappointed. 

Following my retirement I continued to see the heron every time I went by. Truthfully I have no idea if it was the same heron standing there year after year. Range maps indicate that the great blue heron is a year-round resident of our area, however, since we do not usually see them in the midst of winter, I believe they migrate to lower altitudes (we are at 4,200′) where there is open water. I have no idea what “my” heron found to eat when the water was frozen and the snow was deep. Yet he survived! What a joy to know this heron would always be there.

This past summer the great blue heron disappeared. Months went by when we did not see him. I missed him and was sad that he was gone. Happily, several weeks ago I noticed a great blue heron at the same spot again. I do not know whether or not it is the same heron as before. Yet it appears to have taken up permanent residence and is again there every time we pass. Leonard and I do hope our great blue heron is back to stay. We look forward to regularly seeing him.

Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) is very common native shrub that often forms expansive populations in arid areas. It has low palatability and is of little use to ranchers for grazing. For those reasons rabbitbrush is often considered a noxious weed.  However, it does provide browse for jackrabbits, deer and antelope.

I like rabbitbrush because it is a late-blooming plant. From late August through October, when most other wildflowers have long disappeared, rabbitbrush is covered with showy clusters of yellow flowers that attract butterflies and other insects. The seed heads, which are fluffy and light ecru in color, persist into the winter and look pretty against the drab landscape. At this time of the year one can see rabbitbrush plants in bloom next to other rabbitbrush plants that have already gone to seed.

The stems and leaves are covered with hairs which give the plant a gray color, thus another common name, gray rabbitbrush. These hairs reduce transpiration and are an adaptation to the arid environment this shrub inhabits.

Indigenous people would grind up the stems and leaves for use as a  “chewing gum”. This may be why C. nauseosus is also known as rubber rabbitbrush.

These pictures were taken across the road from our house (Modoc County CA) and overlooking the Pit River Canyon in Shasta County CA.

Coyote Scat With Squawberries

Squawbush belongs to the sumac genus (Rhus) which also includes poison oak and ivy. The squawbush resembles poison oak in having three-lobed leaves that turn scarlet in the fall and red berries. However, unlike poison oak it is not noxious and does not possess the allergy-producing properties of its relative. When crushed the leaves of the squawbush emit a strong odor, hence the names involving the word “skunk”.

Tri-lobed Leaves

The squawbush was extensively used by Native Americans. Baskets were woven from the fibrous bark of the stems. The berries can be eaten raw, mixed into porridges or dried and ground into a meal. Letting the berries steep in water results in a “lemonade-tasting” tea. The tea is very high in Vitamin C. Gastrointestinal disturbances and smallpox were two of many ailments treated with squawbush concoctions.

Squawbush often forms heavy, almost impenetrable thickets. Small mammals and birds utilize these thickets for cover and nesting, in addition to eating the berries too. The coyote is not the only wild creature that enjoys the berries.

Berries

All my life I have been interested in the uses of plants and take every opportunity to taste or eat anything edible. As someone who is extremely allergic to poison oak/ivy (I joke that I break out by simply thinking of the plant.), I was a little hesitant to ingest a relative of plants that cause me such grief – particularly since squawbush looks so similar to poison oak and ivy. Curiosity won out and I did eventually eat a few berries. No adverse reactions! So now I will eat squawberries. The berries themselves are tart and a little dry, but totally palatable. The tea is quite pleasant, although I do not know that I would exactly compare it to lemonade. I suppose with sweetener it would be tart/sweet like lemonade. Mr. Coyote does not need to worry about me competing with him for squawberries.

Squawbush is a beautiful plant useful to both man and animals.